It has conventionally been known to utilize an interlayer inhibition effect for improving color reproducibility of color photographic light-sensitive materials. Gradation of color negative paper is balanced to reproduce gray on a color print when exposed using white light, and hence the interlayer effect provides monochromatic coloration of higher density when separation exposure is conducted than when gray exposure is conducted. As a result, reproduction of primary colors with high saturation can be attained on color prints.
As a specific technique for obtaining the interlayer effect, it has been known to use iodide ion released from a silver halide emulsion upon development. This technique raises the content of silver iodide in an interlayer effect-providing layer and reduces the content of silver iodide in an interlayer effect-receiving layer. Another technique for raising the interlayer effect is a technique of incorporating in an interlayer effect-providing layer a coupler capable of reacting with an oxidation product of a p-phenylenediamine type color developing agent in a color developer solution to release a development inhibitor, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) No. 2537/75 (the term "OPI" as used herein refers to a "published unexamined Japanese patent application").
Iodide ion and a development inhibitor to be released from a DIR compound are known to provide not only the interlayer effect but higher sharpness due to the horizontal Everhard effect by diffusion in a direction at a right angle with incident light in the layer where they exist. Particularly, as is disclosed in European Patent No. 101,621 and Japanese Patent Application No. 7150/83, this effect is remarkable with inhibitors or development inhibitor precursors having high diffusibility. However, a raised fine line contrast of 10 lines/mm on film utilizing this horizontal Everhard effect results in some problems. For example, an originally yellow-green color is reproduced as a yellow color on the print, making discrimination between a yellow-green color and a yellow color difficult.
The inventors have formerly found that addition of a DIR compound capable of releasing a development inhibitor with a high diffusibility to a blue-sensitive layer is effective for raising saturation of green color and image sharpness of the blue-sensitive layer, but have found that this addition has a problem with reproducibility of yellow-green color. Thus the invention have conducted intensive investigations to solve this problem.